Job 31:1 (NIV) ~ I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

Job 31:1 (NIV) ~ I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

I can remember the story of two middle-aged men who were walking along the beach front, on a hot summer’s day, both in the company of their wives. As they were going along, two young girls in their twenties walked passed wearing only bikinis and sandals. One of the men then turned to the other man, while hold his wife’s hand and said, “Wow Peter, look at that young girl, what a body on her…she is really something.”

In reality, what is that indirectly saying about his wife? It is saying, “You are nothing. Why can’t you have a body like that? I would rather look at a woman like that all day, and think about what I would do with her, than spend time with you.” We, by nature, covet what we see.

The grass is not always greener on the other side. So many relationship are destroyed by men who cannot keep their eyes off other women. Take for example, the other day when as I was walking down the street. I saw a couple I knew, walking about ten feet in front of me. Then, the man almost dislocated his head as he tried to turn it to follow a young girl in her late teens who was walking on the other side of the road. As I got closer, his wife asked him, “What are you looking at?” He replied, “Oh nothing dear.” She then glanced across the road, and asked him, “Why were you eyeing up that young girl across the street?” He stood there and came out with this pathetic excuse, “I was only looking, I can look as long as I don’t touch. I was only window shopping.” She shook her head at him and said in a voice that was filled with hurt and disappointment, “You told me that you loved me and you would never look at another woman, what was that all about?” He tried to laugh it off with a joke by saying, “Yeah, but as long as I don’t go window shopping with any money in my pocket, right?” But the damage was already done. Written all over her face was the hurt and pain of what he had just said and done.

The Bible says in Matthew 5:28 (NIV), “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a womanlustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

So many marriages encounter problems because men are looking at other woman in a lustful manner. Here in our text for today, Job is saying to his wife, in Job 31:1 (NIV), “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.” Even though Job had lost almost everything, he did not seek comfort in the arms of another woman.

When we get married, not only do we enter into a marriage covenant with our wife, for she is now my covenant wife, but we also make a covenant with our eyes, that we only have eyes for our wife and no one else.

My friend, the Bible says in Proverbs 18:22 (NIV), “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favour from the LORD.” Why throw it all away because our eyes look elsewhere? Why let our eyes wander and look at other women in a lustful manner, when God has given us a beautiful wife and His favour?

When was the last time you took time to esteem your wife, or tell her how beautiful she is? When was the last time you showed her how much you love her, or went out of your way to surprise her with a little gift, or doing something for her that she did not expect? When was they last time you paid her a compliment, or made her feel good about herself? When was the last time time you told her how proud you are of her, or how blessed you are to be married to her?

The Bible says in Ephesians 5:25(KJV), “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” The Bible also says in Colossians 3:19 (MSG), “Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.” Do not treat them harshly or embitter them, but treat them with compassion, be respectful towards them, be affectionate, cherish them, always support them and be sympathetic towards them, for she is your covenant wife. It also works both ways. When a woman marries her husband, she only has eyes for him and treats him in the same way. I believe if we embrace these truths and apply them, then we will enjoy a long a happy marriage.